Oilers fans woke up to news of a possible free-agent signing by the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. The club is apparently close to procuring a right-handed defenceman with a booming point shot.

Persson is a late bloomer, meaning scouting reports from his draft year are not universally available. I reached out to Mike Zanier, who is an analyst for Swedish television on hockey broadcasts.

Zanier: Right shot, 6-foot-1, 185-190 pounds. He is a great story, played last season in Division 3 and was signed into Vaxjo as a project that might have potential. By October he was quarterbacking the power play and racking up the points. Though his points slowed down after Xmas he became a better defenceman. By the end of the year he was in the top pairing for the champion Växjö Lakers. He sees the ice really well and he surprised everyone this season.

Based on the statistical evidence and Zanier’s scouting report, we appear to be talking about a pedestrian hockey...